Bloomington, Indiana Restaurant and Food Guide

Recommendations for dining and (and food in general) in Bloomingon, Indiana

10.29.2005

Buffalo Wings

I know we haven't tried all the wings in town yet, but of those we've tried the best are at Mother Bear's Pizza. The classic wings are nice and hot but not too much. They're also best for the price (and Mother Bear's has among the best blue cheese dressing as well). They're about the heat equivalent of Buffalo Wild Wings medium--also good but a little overpriced, and 2nd for flavor too. I'd love to hear suggestions on wings. P.S. Mother Bear's tops my best pizza list too.

Location: 1428 E. Third St. (just east of Jordan/caddy corner to IU School of Music)
Phone: 332-4495

10.14.2005

La Charreada

In addition to be the local home of the ubiquitous random-permutation combination plate, they have some good food. My usual is the Carne Asada, and sometimes I'll get Pollo Mexicana or another grilled chicken entree, all of the above served on sizzling skillets with onions and green peppers and with tortillas and the standard rice/beans/trimmings sideplate. The Poblano Rellenos are good too (if a little greasy). They have a selection of Mexican beers and margeritas if you like that sort of thing.

Location: 1720 North Walnut Street
Phone: 332-2343

10.13.2005

Siam House

Maybe one of the few Bloomington restaurants to dodge the inevitable downward spiral into crappiness which befalls most promising restaurants, (for some reason, this is especially true for ethnic ones--RIP Burmese Gems). I go for the Tom Yum soup and my wife for the red curries. They do a nice job with everything we've tried. I love the iced tea (Jasmine) and, for appetizers, the spring rolls and dumplings are nice. They offer tofu and TVP alternatives to meat for most dishes. Best of all, they have a daily lunch buffet with meat and vegetarian dishes for a reasonable price ($6.99 last time we went). Consistently good but with a seasonal/bi-seasonal wait-staff turnover. Usually not a big problem though we've had some trying waits on slow servers.

Location: Corner of Grant and 4th
Phone: 331-1233

10.11.2005

Chow Bar

This is our favorite restaurant at the moment. We usually stick to the traditional Chinese fare, namely: Szechuan Spicy Wontons (awesome!), Spicy String Beans, General's Chicken (this is so much better than the usual fast-Chinese-to-go joints), Family Style Bean Curd (fried tofu with vegetables). The atmosphere is unusual. Kind of like a big open cafeteria. The owner entertains the local Asian university students on special occasions, so there are often big tables of happy Asian kids eating and chatting. The regular wait staff are very pleasant, with varying levels of English fluency (never a problem) though there's an occasional disinterested American guy who's slightly less pleaseant.
The menu also features Taiwanese and Korean dishes, with which I have no experience. One of their main planned draws is bubble tea (flavored drinks with tapioca balls). I'm indifferent at best. They have some nice Jasmine Tea though, very good iced. We often get take out, but I recommend dining in, especially on a Saturday afternoon. The lo mein (made with wide noodles) is much better fresh at the table.

Location: 216 S. Indiana Ave (right across the street from the IU Law School)
Phone: 336-3888